A World's End
by hellmunky
Summary: Truth has been stopped but, it's up to Master Cheif and the Arbiter to take the fight to the Covenant along with some new allies.
1. Default Chapter

Halo: A World's End

Chapter 1

1Sitting in the Forerunner ship's cargo hold the Master Chief was busily tapping into the ship's comm system. Hearing a dull tick indicating he was in, he quickly searched through the ship's data bases to find a link to the bridge comm systems, were he could listen to what they were planning. Finding it and slicing into the system he turned the receiver from audio only to the whole package, only taking seconds. His adversary, the Prophet of Truth, was in the middle of planning an attack with three Brute commanders, "But your holy one Earth's forces are encircled on this plateau here," he said indicating an area on the holo map. The plateau looked to be about a two square kilometers in area and had a castle-like structure in the dead center of the plateau. Section III headquarters. The Brute continued on, "If there are armed forces stationed on the plateau, which I might add our Intel has suggested they are, our armed forces would face overwhelming fire from the defenders. They would be utterly wiped out. Instead of decimating our forces for nothing, we should instead land over here," he said indicating a ridge four kilometers to the southwest of the plateau. "Once landed, we would be able to employ our Kig-yar snipers effectively. The snipers could take out some of the defenders before our Brutes have to enter the fray. Once the Kig-yar start sniping, the Brutes would be able to advance under their cover fire and then a short climb to the top and their there."

"While my colleague has a point holy one, if we crush their defenses early on they will have no chance to call in reinforcements and will be powerless against us," claimed the Brute directly across from the first one and closest to the Prophet. An older Brute, the one farthest from the Prophet finally spoke, "While both plans have their merits I believe a more conservative route should be taken. Our Intel suggests that three battalions of their warriors are stationed there. As well as three of these so called 'Demons'," His last remark was greeted by silence. As the minutes wore on a Brute navigator finally stepped forward, "Holiness we have five minutes till touchdown,"

"You must choose a course of action your honor," claimed the second Brute.

"Very well, I believe the Chieftain here is right. Land on the ridge," the Prophet ordered.

Sitting back and readying himself for battle the Master Chief took stock of himself. He had three clips for his BR55 rifle and thirty-six shells for his M90 shotgun. On top of that he had three M9 HE-DP fragmentation grenades and four plasma grenades. Right now he could dish out some serious pain.

The next three and a half minutes passed at a snail's pace. When he was about a minute from the LZ, three status bars popped up on his screen. Fred, Will, and Linda. Deciding it was time to tell them the plan he opened up a comm channel, "Heads up Spartans. I am in the Forerunner ship that is headed to the ridge southwest of the Castle. Do not open fire on this ship. An ass load of Brutes are going to attempt to climb the plateau face under the cover of Jackal snipers. Linda take'em out. Will I want you to lay out any Lotus anti-tank mines you have. Load them with as much shrapnel as possible. Fred you're in charge till I get there. Build up a sand bag wall around the Castle and dig a few holes that could fit a warthog or two in them. I want you to stick the warthogs in them so the barrels are parallel to the ground. If you have any Gauss hog's concentrate them around southwest corner of the Castle. Section III's secrets must not be discovered. Do not respond. This may be traced. Master Chief out," Not knowing whether or not they heard him the Master Chief waited till he heard the dull thump of the gravity lift activating. Hearing thousands of footsteps overhead he waited for them to recede. Finally hearing only a few footsteps over head he poked his head out around the corner. Clear. Using the downloaded ship schematics he proceeded to the bridge. He had to traverse three decks up and had to go over five decks. He met no one of his way there. Stopping outside of the blast door leading to the bridge he activated his IR filter. No heat signals. Never relying on technology the Master Chief inched into the room with him BR55 out in front of him. Nothing. Walking toward the center of the room he paused. Ever thing in here seemed vaguely familiar to him. Almost human-like. Heading to where the schematics said the weapons console was. Hitting a spear-like icon he activated the ship weaponry. Somehow managing to designate the Brutes and Jackals outside as enemies he fired. The cannons spat out plasma so bright the there wasn't a single shadow on the bridge. When the light cleared there was nothing but smoke. Using the ships infrared imaging he saw thousands of fires raging. Switching back to the normal spectrum of imaging he saw the smoke clearing. The ridge was gone. In its place was a giant glass crater. Previously the ridge had been four kilometers away from the plateau; now the plateau was now a cliff at the end of the crater. There wasn't a single sign of life anywhere.

Hearing a small rhythmic tapping behind him, the Master Chief prepped two plasma grenades and his M90. Turning slowly around he spotted his adversary, the Prophet of Truth, was just sitting there. Freezing upon seeing him and finally noticing the two hundred honor guard Brutes behind him, it all hit him. He had completely forgotten about the Prophet because he was tired. A months worth of fighting and little sleep had finally taken its toll. Standing there in shock he just couldn't bring himself to believe he had forgotten about that ugly alien SOB. Only a few hours worth of sleep and a battle stims here and there hadn't kept him battle ready. The worst thing though was where it had taken its toll. His mind. The stims, little sleep and his prejudice against the Covenant had dangerously narrowed his focus. Without having a broad focus he hadn't even been aware that the Prophet was on board. He had been oblivious to everything. The Prophet broke the silence that descended the bridge, "Well, well Demon you are a noteworthy opponent after all, aren't you?" Saying nothing the Master Chief gently eased toward the door. Priming two of his grenades and chucked them at the Prophet. Before the Brutes could react he tossed his frag grenades and the remaining two plasmas. Detonating and throwing shrapnel everywhere and creating confusion amongst the Brutes he checked the Prophet. To his disbelief and horror the Prophet was floating at the top of the chamber, readying his Fuel Rod Gun. Knowing instantly he was outmatched he ran. He quickly exited the bridge and jumped into an Engineer access shaft. Speeding along that and consulting the schematics he came across an elevator. Taking it down two levels to the starboard docking bay he jumped out. To his surprise there was and unguarded Banshee sitting in the corner. Jumping in and taking advantage of the shields being down due to the lift he sped out. Quickly skimming the crater he leveled out twenty meters above the plateau, "Spartans I am inbound on the Banshee. Prepare for a hot landing," three blue acknowledgment lights popped up indicating the understood.

Looking down and checking his motion sensor, the Master Chief say there were two drop ships and five banshees incoming he barked an order, "Spartans get those M19s out and take the drop ships. I'll distract the Banshees till the drop ships are out of the picture," Arming his Fuel Rod Gun the Master Chief did a one-eighty, coming out of the loop upside down he targeted the first Banshee. Hitting the firing studs, globs of plasma shot toward it. Catching of wind of the attack the Banshee flight turned and fired their main cannons. Bunching up they all fired their Fuel Rod Guns. Five globs of explosive energy raced toward him. Rolling left and boosting under the Banshees, Master Chief pulled up. Above and behind the Banshees he turned and let loose his Fuel Rod Gun. The energy glob arched and landed on the middle Banshee, obliterating it and damaging the two close to it. Checking his motions sensor he saw one drop ship down and the other with Jackhammer rockets racing toward it. Sensing his squad would soon turn their M19s in his direction he opened up with the main cannons. Targeting the Banshee closest to him, he shifted his aim to try and take out the anti-gravity pods. Taking just one out wouldn't take the Banshee out of the fight but, it would seriously impair its mobility. Taking the port anti-grav pod the Banshee tilted to the left, running into the Banshee next to it. Turning to target the remaining two, he opened up. Just as the first plasma bolts hit the one on the right side, the Jackhammer missiles hit them full on in the nose. Making a quick circuit around the plateau the Master Chief checked to make sure no more surprises would pop up. Nothing. Turning back and pushing his Banshee to max power he headed to the Castle and his squad.

Arriving shortly there after the Master Chief was greeted by his squad. Linda, Fred and Will all snapped crisp salutes. Fred stepping forward was the first to speak, "Master Chief the admiralty are waiting downstairs to debrief you. They also have a new mission lined up for us,"

"Thank you Fred. Good to see you all," saying nothing but all giving him the smile gesture he headed toward the far side of the Castle. The Castle was a marvel of engineering and technology. The architect had designed the giant underground facility with a maze-like series of crises-crossing hallways and corridors that could withstand a direct strike from an 80 megaton nuclear blast. The hallways were so confusing in the Castle that if an intruder were to break in he would be lost for days and or weeks before he found anything. Reaching the other side of the Castle he stepped up to the door. Taking off his helmet with a hiss of the seal being broken he opened his eye to the retinal scanner. Identifying him properly he was admitted. If anyone failed to pass that scanner no less than three 50mm cannons and one big surprise in the form on a Lotus anti-tank mine would great them. Walking down the hall he approached the Marine guards and handed over his credentials. Clearing them the Marines stepped aside and allowed him into the elevator. Barley feeling it dropping and stepping out thirty seconds later the Master Chief was sure that even with the fast ride they had dropped at least a kilometer below the surface. Helmet still in his hands he stepped up to the retinal scanner on his left. This scanner was a little different than the rest. Built specifically for Spartans it checked if this was his suit, checked his retinas, and tool some of his blood before it allowed him into the room next to the elevator. This room was a Spartans only room where only they could enter to store their gear, receive and install any upgrades Section III had come up with. Walking in and taking off the Mjolinir armor he looked himself over. He was a shade or two paler than last time and had received a new set of bruises and scars. Looking through a set of drawers on the left side of the room marked 117 he found his dress uniform and a scribbled on notebook. In that book were some of his best memories and some of the worst. Included in the book was a list of names. The names of his Spartans. All of the men and woman he had become so close to, gone. Included in there were his best friend Sam, and possibly the most daring Spartan of all, James. ONI wouldn't even give these men and woman the proper respect they had earned through blood, sweat, and even though they would never admit it, tears. ONI claimed it was all for propaganda reasons, keeping the public thinking they were immortal. To hell with that he thought. Remembering why he was here he turned and exited the room.

The conference room was two floors down and housed in one of the most secure places on Earth. He had arrived there twenty minutes ago. The secretary had told him to sit in the waiting room. Soon after, the admiralty finally decided to speak to him. Walking in and taking note of his surroundings he saw five figures arrayed around in a semi-circle around him. They were all shrouded in darkness. Probably trying to intimidate me he thought. Snapping a crisp salute he waited till they acknowledged him, "At ease son. We need you, in detail, to describe everything that has happened since the Covenant came to Earth," said a voice on the left.

"Yes sir, it's a long story,"

"Well we don't have all day so get moving," snapped a voice on the far right. Talking to them he felt like a little of the burden that had been pressing down of him had lifted. First he told of how he took the Covenant's bomb back to their ship and of how he was sucked into the Prophet of Regrets Slipspace field with the In Amber Clad. Second he told of how he had managed to kill the Prophet of Regret only to get captured by the flood leader, Gravemind. Third he told of how the Covenant had broken up with the  
Elites, Hunters, and Grunts against the Brutes, Drones, Jackals, and Prophets. Then of how he had to leave the 'smart' AI Cortana behind to sneak aboard the Prophet of Truths ship. He then had to explain exactly why he left her behind, to blow Delta Halo all the way to Hell. Last he told of what had happened as soon as the Prophet had landed. Finishing he heard the admiralty bickering, "We need to find out if the ring was destroyed" said far right.

"I agree but maybe some ODST's should be sent," said the one in the middle.

"No. The smaller force the better," said the one on the left.

"Yes. Smaller forces but that are equipped with that new fighter they're developing," said far left. Finally with it up to the one on the right, "Yes I agree the smaller the better. I think the Master Chief and his Spartans should go. Plus I also have a pilot in mind for flying that new fighter,"

"I disagree with you Admiral. My ODST's and their new weapons should go instead of them," the middle one said his voice full of disgust.

"Alright this is enough. The Master Chief probably knows every single one of us by now and there is no use keeping him in the dark," With that the lights lifted.

"Admiral Shelby, General Markus, Colonel Ackerson, Lord Hood, and Admiral Asp. Good to see you sirs and ma'am. My Spartans upstairs said there was a new mission for us?" he asked probingly.

"You heard correct," replied Lord Hood. Lord Hood was probably the biggest supporter of the Spartan project in the military. "Your mission is two fold. The first part is to find out if Delta Halo was destroyed. The second part is to try and received flood DNA specimens. However sees how you're the only person with combat knowledge on the Flood we will take your advice before we start planning for your mission,"

"Yes sir. I and the Spartans will take any challenge you put forth to us,"

"I am aware of that Master Chief,"

"However the Flood are some of the most lethal life forms I've every fought against. They are near impossible to kill unless you shoot out the infection form that resides in their chest cavity. Normal troops without the Mjolinir armor would easily be over run by the Flood infection forms. With all that we would still take the mission but, I highly recommend against it,"

"Very well we will review your information and call you back. Meanwhile consider the next week vacation. Dismissed,"

"Yes sir," with that he saluted and turned to the door.

"One other thing Admiral Hood. If the Flood reaches Earth, the Covenant would be and irritating gnat compared to a Spartan. Keep that in mind when you review that part of the mission."

An hour later and waiting on the Section III runway Fred, Linda, and Will waited for the Master Chief, John, to finish with their clearance. They were heading for Sydney, Australia to train up for the new mission. They were going to meet the pilot of the new fighter there. Once they all arrived they would begin training for their mission. The Section III specialists had made a one of a kind Mjolinir suit for the pilot. Kind of. It doubled the pilot's strength, tripled his reactions and had a slot for his personal AI to fit in. The only reason why the techies hadn't started making tons of the suits was because they had needed to do so many tests on the pilot. Apparently they had had a specialized mission in place before this mission that required him to get down and dirty. The tests they had conducted took over three months, night and day to get the suit fit for his non-augmented body. The pilot in question was a Major Jacob Hecks, supposedly the best pilot there was. Another thing waiting for them in Sydney were a couple surprises they'd need on the mission. Noticing John walking up Fred snapped out of his reprieve. Crisply saluting as one they awaited their orders. Saying nothing John motioned behind them. Turning and looking behind them Fred spotted their transport arriving, an ancient C-77. With the ability to go Mach 2 it would take a few hours to get to Sydney from this barren Nevada desert. Sitting down next to his Mjolinir armor Fred waited for the plane.

Ten Minutes later they were on their way to hopefully a brighter future. Falling asleep John thought of the new mission and of what was to become of him and the remaining Spartans.


	2. Chapter 2

Halo: A World's End

Chapter 2

The atmospheric, zero-g-1 was in most respects the best damn plane out there but the A/Z-4 Phantom was better. The fighter could operate in both zero gravity and atmospheric environments. The A/Z-1, its predecessor, was a top of the line weapon testing platform. The newer A/Z-4 was modeled after two five hundred year old ATF's or advanced tactical fighters. The two planes on question, the mighty F-22 Raptor and the famous interceptor the F/A-18 Hornet, were in their the day, the best damn planes out there. The A/Z-4 combined the Hornet's maneuverability, the Raptor's versatility and, everything its predecessor had perfected. Some of these 'perfected' upgrades of the Phantom sported had either been honed to perfection by the A/Z-1 or were top of the line prototypes just entering testing. Some of those prototypes were an experimental cloaking device for stealth operations, new dual stage missiles and, last but not least two .80 cal cannons that could be, at the touch of a button, be converted into plasma cannons.

More extraordinary than the plane however was its pilot, Major Jacob "Dog" Hecks. The Major was the best pilot out there. He was a top of the line pilot that tested everything from commercial airliners to ultra secret stealth craft the ONI used. Right now he was the only pilot with the A/Z program, the rest were out mopping up the remaining Covenant. His current mission was to test out the new upgrades of the Phantom. Sitting in the run way of the Section III jet testing facility, Jacob waited for his clearance to come from the control tower. "Castle Control to Wild Knight you are clear for take off,"

"Roger that. Five bucks says I'll nail that bunker of the first try,"

"You're on. Good luck, control out," replied Castle Control. Bringing his modified Pratt & Whitney's to life Jacob quickly brought his plane to takeoff speed. Lifting off and leveling out at twenty thousand feet Jacob decided it was time to see how fast this baby could go. Running a circuit around the testing range he slowly applied power till he broke the sound barrier. Finally breaking the barrier Jacob pushed the throttle levers to full power. What astonished him more in the next ten seconds was hard to discern. There was the maddingly quick acceleration, the amount of speed he reached in that time or even the smooth ride he had getting there. Usually getting to Mach 7 in ten seconds is impossible but in this plane it's and entirely different story. The plane accelerated so fast that the g's it created almost blacked him out. He getting that close to blacking out is in its own amazing. The pressure suit he was wearing could keep its pilot conscious at up to twenty g's. If it hadn't been for Scott his 'smart' AI Jacob might have lost the plane and his life. The thrills of flying he thought mildly amused. Not risking blacking out Jacob decided to skip the high g maneuvers. Radioing Control to alert them of the change in plans Jacob spoke, "Castle Control I think the high speed maneuvers should be postponed till either I get out of the plane or I get a new pressure suit,"

"Roger that Wild Knight. Proceed to Range F to commence remainder of the test,"

"Roger that Wild Knight out," Range F was about five minutes away. Sighing and sitting back in his chair Jacob prepared to commence a test that could make or break the UNSC Navy.

Five minutes later Jacob entered Range F. Activating his radar he spotted the shielded bunker that was his target around 20 kilometers distance. Still flying around Mach 7 he started to slow the bird down. Dropping down to just under Mach 1 he finally came with in visual range of the bunker. The bunker was situated at the top of a low rise. It was around a quarter kilometer square. The mission parameters required him to get close enough to the bunker to read the daily joke the techies wrote on it. Lining up a low level attack run, Jacob inverted the Phantom so it was upside down. Dropping his airspeed to just above stall speed he glimpsed the writing:

Who's the worst pilot of all?

Major Jacob Hecks that's who.

Deciding to give the techies a mouthful at reassembling the bunker for the next test Jacob armed one of the three missile types he had. The DSM-3 could be configured to fit just about any type of warhead from nuclear to conventional explosives. Making a broad loop he vectored in on a high level attack run. Switching the missile to IR tracking, he heard the missile growling in his ear. Good he thought, it's locked on. Firing the missile he did a 180 and reversed direction. Wanting to see the blast but also to survive it he flew as fast as he could to around 50,000 feet from the bunker he banked and took a look. A bright flash lit the sky. Even with the blast filter on his helmet visor and the fighters canopy visor he still saw a burning white light. Then the shock wave hit. The wave hit him like a giant's fist, sucker punching his plane into an uncontrolled spin. Without Scott he would have never been able to pull out of the spin the wave put him into. Pulling out of it with Scott's help, he looked out of the Phantoms canopy and saw the damage he had done. His 'little' toy completely unearthed the bunkers lowest levels. Needless to say there were no more upper levels either. With a mushroom cloud billowing over the blast site he radioed control, "You guys get that?"

"What the hell were you thinking up there Wild Knight? You launched a nuclear missile at a non-nuclear site!"

"My finger slipped that's all," he replied trying to hold back his laughter.

"Fuck your finger slipping. I don't care how many people are backing your ass but you're off this project for good,"

"You can't seriously mean that can you? I mean look at everything I've done. Besides that bunker was protected for nuclear radiation and the nuke I launched was an experimental one that leaves no radioactive waste. Get out here and you'll find out for yourselves,"

"Get your ass back to base now Wild Knight. I don't care if there was no radiation. You failed your mission,"

"Roger that Castle Control,"

"Oh one other thing, when you get back here start packing," turning toward the base Jacob flew the Phantom for what was surely going to be his last time.

An hour later Jacob was sitting in what had been his room for the last five years. It hadn't changed much in that time. The room still held the old cleaner smell that had been in here when he first moved in. It still had every ding and scratch but, every thing was in order. This was all due to Dog's scrutinizing eye to detail which as a matter of fact, ran opposite of the way he acted. Dog was always breaking rules or bending orders to liven up a usually boring mission. This time it looked like he had over done it a little too much. So far it looked like he was either going to be busted down to an Ensign or was going to be dishonorably discharged. He still couldn't make up his mind which would be worse but, in the end they would both humiliate him beyond belief. Picking up his two duffel bags he exited the room and turned down the hall. He was somewhat lucky with where he lived because he lived in the simplest area of the Castle complex. This was the only area were there were other people who would point you in the right direction if you took a wrong turn. To get to the briefing room and his meet with the Devil all he had to do is turn left at the first hallway intersection and go straight to the elevator. After doing that he went three levels down. Stepping down he walked up to the retinal scanner. After taking his DNA and eye patterns it Okayed him to go forward. At the end of the hallway were the huge blast doors that protected the conference room. Quickly crossing the distance between him and the Marines guarding the door, he handed over his credentials. Once they were Okayed he went to the secretary and asked, "Ma'am, Major Jacob Hecks reporting as ordered. When do they expect to see me?"

"They waiting for you right now," replied the secretary. Turning from the secretary and walking to the door he strode through to meet the people that held his fate in their hands.

After two hours of being berated for insubordination Dog was finally excused from the room so they could discuss what punishment seemed fit for what he had done. It took all of about five minutes. Walking back in and snapping up his hand in a crisp salute he looked the room over again. The entire back half of the room was darkened so he could only see the outlines of the three people sitting there. The one of the left was a short and squat man with a bushy mustache while the one in the middle had a lithe body and her hair tied back in a pony tail. The one of the right had a slim form and no hair on his head. Sitting down the man was at least a full head and a half taller than the other two. As for the rest on the room though the side paneling looked like antique wood. On each of those walls were three paintings that depicted various wars the human race had fought. There was the Civil War, World War I, II and III, Vietnam and Korea. All but World War III took place in the same century, totaling in at around two or three million soldiers dead.

His observations were cut short when the woman in the middle spoke, "Major Jacob Hecks you were charged of willful disobedience and found guilty. On the charges of the illegal use of a nuclear warhead you're found guilty. For the first charge you will be dishonorably discharged. For the second offence you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment. You are dismissed to leave the facility to the UNSC federal prison. Goodbye Major," with that the Majors eyes were misting over. Way to go hotshot he thought, you just fucked yourself over for the rest of your life. Feel happy. Turning around and striding toward the elevator he continued to berate himself for being such a dumbass he heard in the distanced, a phone ringing. Thinking nothing of it and stepping into the elevator he was surprised to see the Marine Guard's hand thrust into the remaining pace between the elevator doors. Speaking gruffly he told Dog, "They admirals would like to see you again," Nodding dumbly he walked back to the conference room he wondered why the admirals had to berate him once again. As if reading his mind the short one on the left started to speak, "Major you are one lucking SOB. That was Lord Hood on the phone. You're to accompany the Spartan on their mission to Delta Halo. You role in the mission will be to fly the A/Z-4 Phantom. You're to board the next transport to Sydney to start training up for the mission and to get acquainted with your Mjolinir armor. Major think about what just happened to you. Do not step out of line again or I will personally make sure your get sentenced to an execution instead of life imprisonment. That is all, dismissed," snapping instantly out of his self beration he crisply saluted and strode out of the room with a new bounce to his stride. Riding the elevator to the surface he wondered what mission would be so important that it could pull him out of a life imprisonment.


	3. Chapter 3

Halo: A World's End

Chapter 3

Being the best they could be was all Eric and his fellow Spartans had been taught for the last fifteen years. When Reach fell all the Spartans, at the age of fourteen, had been going through the augmentation process. While evacuating them off planet CPO Mendez, their trainer and the only father-figure in their lives, went KIA trying to evacuate them off planet. The Spartans were then taken directly to Earth regardless of Cole Protocol. Once safely on Earth and their augmentations complete they began readjusting their bodies to the various changes done to them. Out of the sixty that had started the process only twenty five were fit to fight. Fifteen had died and the other twenty had various cases of bone malformation and some cases of Alzheimer's disease. Their training mainly involved playing capture the flag matches against the Hell jumpers.

That was until the Covenant attacked Earth. The twenty five operational Spartans were sent in five hunter killer teams. Each team was assigned to a certain part of New Mombassa. Eric, Jenna, Marko, Sean, and Phil were all stationed at the center of the city. Eric, the red team squad leader, radioed the others it was time to move out. After spending the last hour here and encountering nothing he had decided it was time to get back to the LZ. The LZ was in a soccer field to five blocks south of their position. Opening a squad wide comm he told them the rundown, "Alright folks, there is nothing here. We are going to proceed to the LZ. I want Marko scout ahead with Jenna to snipe for you. The rest of you fall in," With that Sean and Phil came trotting up from his left. Waving the okay signal the fanned out to both sides of the street. Crouch walking alongside a storefront Eric came across an alley way. Holding out his fist he signaled them to hold. Pulling out his fiber optics cable he stuck around the corner. Down the alley way sat two Hunters accompanied to white armored Elites. Keying his mike he gave Phil and Sean the layout, "There are two Hunters and two Elites down this alley way. Sean I want you to come stand on the other side of the alley mouth with me. Phil I want you to launch your Jackhammer missiles right into them once me and Sean use our grenades," Receiving two red acknowledgment lights from them he set his M90 aside. Sean, looking over, did the same with his BR55. Pulling out and prepping two plasma grenades in each hand Eric waited till Phil was in position. Looking back and making sure he was, Eric gave a nod to Sean. Priming the grenades and counting to two he through them. Four plasma grenades and four frag grenades sailed though the air. All four of the plasmas stuck to the first Hunters head, sealing its fate. The four frag grenades landed underneath the two Elites. Hearing the ping of the grenades hitting the ground the looked down only to have the grenades blow their bodies to shreds. Phil, launching his missiles into the fray struck the last Hunter in the face. The other missile impacted right next to its unprotected back sending shrapnel into its exposed flesh, instantly killing it. Keying his mike Eric spoke, "Alright lets get moving before more show. Section III has Mjolinir ready for us when we get back. Let's move," At that the Spartans turned and started sprinting down the street.

Reaching the soccer field thirty seconds later Eric motioned for Sean and Phil to secure the perimeter. Walking slowly up to the waiting Pelican Eric leveled his M90. Turning around the corner he found nothing. Striding forward he checked the cockpit. Nothing. Where in Hell is the crew he pondered. "Jenna, Marko where is the crew?"

"They were ambushed outside about three hundred meters south of the Pelican. They saw some Marines fighting and decided to flank the Covenant. The Covenant ended up ambushing them. None of them made it," Marko solemnly replied.

"Alright hightail it back to the Pelican we need to get to Section III ASAP. They should have Mjolinir online by now,"

"Beat you to it Eric," replied Jenna as they came running up from the west. Piling in Eric moved to the cockpit and looked over the controls. After a quick search he found the auto-pilot and engaged it. With a throaty rumble that shook Eric to the core the Pelican lifted off and turned towards Section III. Walking back and looking over his team he spied Marko. Marko was the unit's best scout and second best shot. With Jenna, the squad's best sniper, they were undetectable even to the Spartans. Meanwhile Sean and Phil, the twins, had the best teamwork out of the entire Spartan division. Usually Spartans could 'know' what the other would do in a fire fight but Sean and Phil however, were on an entirely different level. They moved in such fluid coordination during the first exercises that Mendez had used that as the template for the rest of their team training. Running a mental check on himself he pondered what he was. Some said he was the bravest and a natural leader while other thought of him as the tactician of the group. Not really caring about he went back into the cockpit and watched the scenery roll by. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he saw a white flash light the sky. Fearing the worst he turned the Pelican back to his control. Hitting the throttle lever he sped the Pelican from a measly 250 nauts to over 500 nauts. When the light disappeared he slowed the Pelican down and looked back at the city. The only thing left was a smoking black crater. Sending out a quick status report to other Spartans he dreaded that the worst had happened. Receiving weak signals from the other twenty Spartans he checked their life signs. Nothing, they had all flat-lined. Holding back tears he re-engaged the auto-pilot. Standing up he walked back to the last Spartan-III's to tell them what had happened.

Three hours later and standing in nothing but a surgeons dress he looked over at the others. They were all as nervous and excited as he, even though the men and woman they had come to know as brothers and sisters died. They were all standing in a stark white room with five gunmetal colored tubes at the other end of the room. To his left was a firing range with all sorts of weapon and an obstacle course. On the right side were rows of test cubicles and data banks. What had their attention captivated however was the door next to the tubes'. Just then the door opened to reveal a man who looked to be in his mid-sixties with balding hair, a sagging goatee, and a cane he hobbled on. Behind him came six orderlies. The man came to a stop about three meters in front of the Spartans, "Well it looks like you five are all that's left. What a shame. I hope they went out fighting. Oh well. Your Mark VII Mjolinir suits have different layers. Each layer was specifically designed for each Spartan but they are interchangeable. The outer layer can dispel a direct shot from almost any weapon the Covenant have. You also have upgraded shielding. The shields can withstand two consecutive shots from a Covenant Beam Rifle. They were strengthened due to the Jackals increasing tendency to use the rifle. The other stuff, well, you'll just have to figure it out. Now who wants to go first? "Instantly all five Spartans stepped forward. Looking them over he choose Jenna. Damn she's always just a little faster than I me he thought. Watching her suit up with envy in his eyes he heard the man speak, "Alright now, I want you to move your arm but, I just want you to think about moving your arm,"

"Okay," With a flash her arm snapped up in a crisp salute, "Wow. That was amazing. Eric wait till you try this," One by one the Spartans got suited up. When it was finally his turn Eric was full of anticipation. Getting all but his helmet on, he saw Jenna working through the live fire course. Finally the orderlies put on his helmet with a hiss of air.

The suit rapidly heated to an agonizing level of pain then dropped so low that Eric thought his feet would fall off. The helmets view screen had five or so HUD displays. In the upper left hand corner were his vitals, lower left hand were his motion tracker and his shield bar. On the opposite side was his ammo counter and mission objective screen. Hearing the man tell him to move his arm he had just barley thought about it when his hand flew up. Not being able to stop his arm it bounced of his head. His wrist was throbbing agonizingly, if I hadn't of gotten those bone augmentations he thought, I would have shattered my wrist. One of the orderlies told him he could move to the obstacle course so, turning around and breaking into an all out sprint he reached the course in three seconds flat. His first obstacle was to scale a thirty foot wall. Decoding to test out his new armor's strength he punched the wall. With his strength almost quadrupled, his fist went clean though the meter thick wall. Stepping though the hole he had just made he came across the next obstacle, a minefield. Boosting his shield to 100 charge on his lower half of the body he started to walk forward only to fall on his butt. Just like walking of ice he thought. Getting up and deciding walking wasn't gonna him across he started sprinting. Eric was going fast enough through the field that the Lotus Anti-Tank mine's blasts weren't even close to touching him. Passing through the mine field he came across a game he had played with Mendez. Ring the Bell. There were stakes sixty feet high that he would have to traverse through to get to the bell on the other side. But knowing his other trainers they probably wouldn't make it that simple. Willing to bet his life on it, he guessed there were stun mines, exploding sticks, collapsible bridges and much, much more.

Deciding that half a ton of armor would most likely obliterate any stick he jumped on, so he decided the shorter the journey, the better the results. Taking less than a second he surveyed the stick jungle. To his left were a series of shorter and flimsier fifty foot stakes. Spotting a rope next to them he climbed up to the first one. Getting onto the pole he discovered that they were stronger than they looked. Rocking back and forth he set himself up for a jump. Hitting the apex of the swing he jump and landed on a pole five meters in front of him. Using his forward momentum he lunged to the next pole, only to trigger the stun grenade attached to the bottom of the pole. Falling fifty feet in a shower of two foot long wooden shards he landed wrong on his knee. Hyper-extending it was bad enough but having of the shards go right through his leg was even worse. Unbelievable as it was, the shard was now sticking out the other side of his amour. Holy shit, that shard must have been going amazingly fast to go through armor that could stop an S2 shot he thought, grimacing as a fresh wave of pain went through his body. Breaking off one side of the shard, he pulled the remaining half of it out in a gush of blood and coolant. Fighting against the pain induced nausea he uneasily stood up. Pushing the pain away from his mind he started to sprint. Running as fast as his bleeding leg would carry him, he shot passed all the remaining stakes with adrenaline coursing through his veins like wildfire.

Stopping at the edge of the stake jungle he looked over his next task. It was an open field covered with converging blanks of fire by three .50 cal auto cannons on each side. Mentally doing the math in his head he figured each cannon could turn at around 40 kph. His top speed was 50 kph at top condition but, with his leg it made to around 42 or 43 kph. That would be cutting it close he thought. Changing his shield settings so that his torso was mostly protected while below his knees had only a half a millimeter of shielding. Getting himself ready he crouched down like a sprinter. Shooting out like a bullet, albeit a limping one, he reached the first set of Ma Deuces before it could swivel and track him. Opening fire before they came lined up with him they took out the second set of auto cannons. Staring down the barrel of the last set he watched as the barrels started to pour lead into the air. Rolling to the turret on his left he leaped over the bunker housing the turret. Ducking into the bunker and ripping the turret from it's mounting he fired at the turret across the way. Quickly reducing it into a smoldering wreck he hobbled off to the firing range.

Reaching the firing range he went to the med kit and grabbed some bio-foam. Inserting it into the hole in his leg he pushed the eject button. The foam shot through his leg with accompanied with a wave of pain. Sealing itself the foam hardened into a vacuum proof band-aid. These things have their highlights but they sure hurt like hell, he thought as he limped over to the gun table. Sitting on the table were all the guns he had trained with plus a few more. Turning to the orderly next to the table he questioned, "What guns are those?"

"Well sir the one on your right is a Mjolinir Shock Rifle. It has three firing modes: full-auto, three-round burst and semi-automatic. It fires a .50 caliber bullet. When you fire on full-auto it is inaccurate at all but close range. With three round burst it is the perfect mid-range weapon. With semi-auto and a bullet enhancement it also makes a sniper rifle. On the bottom of the rifle is a grenade launcher that is adaptable to fire both M9 grenades and the Covenant Plasma grenades. The rifles special feature is however, a certain firing mode. When in semi-automatic you have the option to turn on a controlled EMP blast. The power comes from your armor shielding though. So to completely take out an opponents shield you yourself must drain half of your shield to supply the power. The rifle also features a plas-steel grip that will mold to your hands. Any questions?"

"Can I try it out?"

"Yes pick it up and hit all the targets of the range," Picking up the gun Eric looked it over. It had the same iridescent greed his armor had. The HUD in his helmet showed that there was a full clip in the gun and that it was coded to his DNA and the other Spartans. Sighting down the barrel he only had to think and the target he was sighting jumped closer. Wanting to see how far the rifle could scope he tried jumping to 5x magnification. Having a gut feeling it could go farther he thought again. Jumping to 10x magnification he took aim and shot the farthest target in the dead center. Putting it down, he picked up the other gun. It was a pistol with a barrel thirty percent larger than a normal HE pistol. Snatching a magazine off the table he popped it in, only to find the gun was perfectly balanced. Sliding the magazine out, he looked at the bullets. They looked to be .45 caliber bullets with explosive tips. Putting the bullet back into the magazine he took aim at the nearest target only to see it jump to 2x magnification. Interesting, he thought, that will be useful. Taking careful aim he fired. The explosive tip of the bullet did a whole lot more damage than its size indicated. Sliding the back target forward so he could compare the impacts he saw the single .50 caliber bullet in fact did less damage to the .45 caliber bullet. Must be one goddamn strong explosive, he thought mildly amused. The pain from his leg reminded him that he should probably go see if he severed an artery before he bled to death. Hobbling off to meet with his team he wondered what his next mission would be.


	4. Chapter 4

Halo: A World's End

Chapter 4

With new agony lancing through his body Sam fought every impulse and instinct to talk. Using all of his military training and discipline he absolutely refused to talk. Another bolt of lighting lanced through his body. Adrenaline pumping through his body Sam flexed and pulled. He pulled his bonds straight out of bulkhead he'd been chained to. His Elite interrogators jumped him with their form of tazers, a long rod-like object with an oval shaped bulb at its end. This little bulb was what made it the ultimate interrogators friend. It spewed lighting and had pain amplifiers on the tip of the bulb. Wielding these and shocking him almost into unconsciousness they chained Sam back up. Finally regaining a sense of himself, Sam yelled as loud as he could, a breath for every word, "I. Will. Not. Talk!" Either sensing he wouldn't give them what they wanted that day or tired of their sport, they ordered a Hunter and a number of Jackals to take him back to his cell. Going through twisting corridors and slipping into unconsciousness he arrived at what had been his home for the last five years.

Coming to in his cell, Sam gasped in agony at the pain rushing through his body. It felt like his nerve endings were raw. No wonder I passed out he thought. Dragging himself to the back of his cell and propping himself up Sam wondered were the hell he was in the galaxy. He thought of everything that had happened to him the last 27 years of his life. Of how John and Kelly had left for dead back on that Covenant ship. And the reason why they left him. They left because he had been to slow. They left him because he hadn't reacted fast enough when that Jackal had shot at him. Then he thought of how the Elite commander dragged his limp body to the escape pod and how after activating the stealth shielding escaped only to end up in another hell. The first ship he was held captive on was led by the most religious SOB he had ever met. Aboard his ship the cruiser-class Righteous Justice, Sam experienced hell that would make CPO Mendez's training sessions look like a walk in the park, yet he endured. Thinking he had experienced the worst of it, he was then transferred to a Minor Prophets ship. After five years aboard Righteous Justice and thinking his tour of Hell was over and Sam was hoping the Prophet would be more lenient in his torture than the Righteous Justice's commander. Oh how he was wrong. The Prophet in question was so fanatical in his pursuing of the 'Great Journey' that the mere mention of a Human sent him into a berserking frenzy. Bringing him so close to Death and so often Sam could have had running conversations with him. After getting to close one time, the Prophet of Truth ordered him to transfer me to the Sangheili Honor, the current ship I was aboard. Aboard this ship he experienced a Hell on a whole new level. This commander and his interrogators didn't pull and twist body parts; they didn't allow him to meet death. They used an entirely different method of torture. They messed with his mind not his body. Sure they tied him up and shock the living shit out him but that wasn't all. They whispered things into his ears while he slept and when they tortured him. Things so twisted and so close to the truth that half the time Sam believed them. Finally drifting to sleep and dreaming, Sam dreamt of the day he'd escape and see his fellow Spartans again.

Jolting awake at the sound of his cell door sliding open Sam braced himself for the inevitable. Instead of the usual Hunter and the five or so Jackals were three Elites. One was gold armored while the other two wore the white armor of SpecOps operatives. In short, gruff sentences that were somehow translated the gold Elite explained what was to happen to him, "You're sentenced to execution. You will die today in three of your 'hours',"

"So after all our time together your just gonna kill me? Well glad to know ya," said Sam with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"You had better curb your tongue infidel before I remove it," snarled the Elite.

"Whatever you say split-jaw," With that the Elite jumped at him. Snapping completely awake with adrenaline pumping in his veins Sam pivoted to the right, aiming a vicious uppercut to the Elites head. Before he could connect however, the two SpecOps Elites leaped forward grappling their commander and pinning him down. Staring, dumbfounded with shock, Sam watched as the two Elites pulled the other one out in to the corridor and slammed him into the bulkhead. Only catching part of the conversation before the doors slid shut Sam heard them say, "Control your anger or we will be forced to execute you along with the infidel. He is not worth eternal shame, your honor, your family, or your command. Control yourself or we'll put you in..." Adrenaline fading from his veins Sam sat back exhausted. Knowing he was to die in the next three hours really didn't mean much to him anyway. After aboard that Prophets ship and coming so close to Death it really didn't bother him that much. Everyday had been the same hoping against hope that they'd either finish him off or better, his fellow Spartans would come to rescue him. Knowing one of his hopes had finally come to pass Sam resigned to what fate had in store for him. Sitting back thinking this is surely the last time I'll ever sleep Sam fell into his first peaceful sleep in the last 27 years.

Waking two and a half hours later Sam heard five thumps going off in quick succession. Thinking some Covenant has banded together and started mutiny Sam inched over to the left side of the door. Waiting for what seemed hours Sam watched as the doors opened. Readying himself to lunge at the first person or thing that walked in Sam waited for them to walk in. Seeing a Plasma Rifle poke through the doorway Sam lunged. Using his forward momentum Sam twisted the rifle out of his adversaries grasp. Turning and using the rifle as a club Sam leaped at his attacker. Seeing something green flash out and catch his wrist with unexpected strength Sam dropped the rifle. Twisting inside his assailant reach, Sam used his attacker's wrist grab to simultaneously roll him over his back and fling him into his cell wall. With his attacker across the cell Sam finally saw who it was, "James how...where...what..."

"Damn Sam you still kick my ass when we go at it," Striding over to him Sam helped his friend up. James. James had been one of his fellow Spartans back when they were training on Reach. "Sam com'on we have to leave. Josh, Cassandra, and Adam are rigging the reactors to blow,"

"Wait James what about my gear?"

"There's no time we got 2:37 till the reactors blow. We have a Pelican in the port docking bay ready for liftoff,"

"Alright I'm with ya, lead the way," With that James turned and started running down the hall. Not having been able to get a decent workout in decades but nonetheless fit, Sam was soon panting and sweating like a new trainee during the first day of boot. Turning back to face Sam, James saw how much Sam was struggling to keep up. Slowing down to match his speed James commented rather sarcastically, "Remember when you used to beat me at this sorta stuff? Now look at you, huffin' and puffin' like the big bad wolf,"

"Shut the hell and keep running James, you do remember there is a bomb on board,"

"Aw you're such a spoil sport,"

"Whatever let's just get the hell out of here,"

"Alright this way," Turning down the corridor they reached the port docking bay only to see ten Hunters and five SpecOps Elites standing around their Pelican.

There was an uneasy silence as each side sized each other up. Just then three Spartans came from the other side of the bay. Two of them pulled out M19 SSM rocket launchers while the other one, most likely Adam pulled out a S2 AM sniper rifle. Four muffled coughs were heard and four of the ten Hunters were down. Reloading quickly Adam dropped four more Hunters while simultaneously signaling Josh and Cassandra to fire. Four Jackhammer rockets roared out of their tubes and struck the last two Hunters in the head and the caught the Elite formation unawares. A single Elite was all that had survived the barrage. Sam, sprinting forward tackled the Elite head on. Knowing the Elite was stronger than him unless he had his Mjolinir armor, Sam punched out the Elite shield systems. Pulling him up and placing the Elite in front of him Sam pushed the Elite forward. Right on cue James fired a three round burst into the Elites throat, taking off its head amidst a fountain blood. Spitting out the purple blood that had somehow managed to get in his mouth Sam turned to the other three Spartans in the room, "Josh, Cassandra, Adam. Good to see ya,"

"Save the pleasantries Sam. Move out," Ordered Adam. Hoping aboard the Pelican and going to the cargo bay Sam waited while the others made ready. With a throaty rumble the Pelican took off. Taking off and pushing her for all she was worth to try and escape the blast radius, the Pelican shot out like a bullet. With :30 to try and escape the blast they would be cutting it pretty damn close. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, a brilliant flash of light lit the black of space. Momentarily blinded and with nothing to protect his eyes Sam gasped in pain as pure white light hit his retinas, threatening to burn them out of his skull. Still blinded ten minutes later Sam heard James say, "The Sphinx is dead ahead. ETA thirty minutes."

After a thirty minute ride to the corvette-class Sphinx Hunter Sam finally arrived on the first thing resembling anything that had to do with his old life. The Sphinx Hunter wasn't your typical UNSC fleet ship. It had been specially upgraded for Spartan missions that required stealth and a small running crew. The Sphinx Hunter also sported two miniature MAC guns that took half the time to charge up but something was different. Turning to James, Sam asked, "Who's in charge and why the Sphinx feel 'different'?"

"Well as you know you've kinda been away for the last three decades. The Sphinx has had it's MAC guns upgraded, prototype shields installed and well the running to crew has been reduced from ten to four so it may seem a little 'lonely' till you get used to it,"

"Can you fill me in on what has happened the last few decades?"

"Follow me. This is a long story and well you may no like one bit,"

"Okay I just need to know what has happened," Leading him down the corridor and to the briefing room James sat him down and began to explain all that had happened.

He explained how John and Kelly left him for dead. How Reach had fallen and how he came to be where he was. He explained that he had been blown off the docking ring and flung into space. Then of how he hit a Covenant drop ship and was knocked unconscious and how he had woken up a few hours later a prisoner. How he had been transported to the edge of the galaxy and held prisoner for a month. He then explained how Josh, Cassandra, and Adam had by listening to Covenant comm channels, that he was held captive. Upon rescuing him they set raiding Covenant till they had found him. Upon ending his story Cassandra stepped in, "Sir we have word that we are at peace with the Elites, Grunts, and Hunters. We also have received word that John, Linda, Fred and Will are alive,"

"Oh shit we just took out some allies. Oh well look what they did to Sam. Plot a course Earth," relied James, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"Sir what about Cole Protocol?"

"Well they already know where Earth is don't they? That's what we got from the comm chatter right? So if they know where it is what's the point of jumping around for hours or days till we get there? As it is it will take a week to get there,"

"Sir, yes sir,"

"They know where Earth is?" Sam barley choked out. In that one sentence all he fought for, all he shed blood for was it all for nothing?

"It doesn't matter anymore Sam. Chief and the others are there and with us four we will be able to take anything out, now go get some shut eye,"

"Sir, yes sir. One more thing what am I going to do about my armor? It was aboard that ship,"

"Don't worry we'll send down a request to Section III to get you something to wear,"

"Thanks," With that Sam got up, and thought of his new predicament. James was now missing his arm below the elbow on one side but was still going strong. The others seemed fit as ever and were still the top of their game. Faced with ceaseless wondering on what was going on back home, he decided it was time to hit the cyrotube or a week on uninterrupted sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Halo: A World's End

Chapter 5

"That information cannot be given in your presence," The Oracle stated after he, the Arbiter had asked where the Ark was.

"Exactly why can't he be around when we receive that information? After all he wants to stop the Prophets as well as we do," questioned the female human. These Humans were, interesting. After fighting a nearly three decade long war they were willing to go along with their temporary peace. Knowing how the remaining Covenant would react to this new peace and all the information he had found out about the Prophets treachery he had decided in advance to keep the Humans away from all Covenant contact. Well his most trusted commanders and he were allowed to see them but, no one else was to find out about them. Trusting his resolve not to kill another Human while he lived and his commander's loyalty, together they would round up the last Covenant. After all the Lekgolo, Unggoy, and the rest of the Sangheili were found they would commence the search for the Ark and their now sworn duty, to kill the Covenant. The other Human that stood beside the female was a male. He was a soldier that the Arbiter would have trusted his life in that mans hands. He made top Kig-yar snipers look like amateurs when he handled a Beam Rifle. A Beam Rifle in his hands was like watching artists paint. Every shot precise and correct down to the millimeter. He had fought on the first Halo the Humans had found and, he had also fought against and with the Arbiter very recently. Knowing the male only by his reputation on the battle field the Arbiter had great respect for him.

"Because Reclaimer he is not of the Human species. This so called Arbiter was very recently on a mission to find the index and activate the Halo. This is unacceptable and against protocol. He is not qualified to activate the installation. Sees how he has already tried to activate this installation, he is unfit to hear the coordinates I am going to give you. Does that satisfy you?" replied the Oracle in its droning voice.

"Now you listen hear tinker bell. Whether you like it or not we're probably just going to share that information with him as soon as we leave. Now you can tell us now with him here or we can wait and tell him later, your choice," the male put in nastily.

"You seem to be right Reclaimer. Although something you should know is that this Arbiter used to be the very commander that had attacked Reach,"

"Tell me something new," replied the Human his face getting darker with anger.

"His name is Aki Forlumee', he is the son of –"

"I don't need to know any of that. There is a thing in this world I call sarcasm and I use it a lot, alright. I don't want a life history but give me something us Humans can use and he will leave," interjected the female Human. Annoyed that the Humans weren't going to ask for his input he opened his mouth to speak but, was interrupted by the Oracle.

"Very well Reclaimer you have me stumped, the coordinates are R.A. 17h 39.3m, declination -28°55. If you can't remember that, it's at the center of this galaxy,"

"Well looks like we got a one long ass trip ahead of us. Ma'am we should probably go round up the remaining Marines on the ring before the Flood or the Covenant get to them,"

"Alright Sergeant, lead the way," with that all three left the Control Room, for once not to kill but to save.

Heading out of the Control Center and taking a quick look around as he started to go around a corner, but his gaze fell on three Jiralhanae's guarding a drop ship. Pushing the Humans down he whispered to them, " Humans there is a drop ship around the corner. I will –"

"Well let's go get it Arbiter," interrupted the male.

"I will go clear it out for us and will come get you once I'm done," Aki stated barely controlling his rage.

"In case you didn't know I still got this little baby right here," he said gesturing to the Beam Rifle in his arms, "And you know as well as I do I can handle this big boy," he said grinning with a cigar in his jutting out of his mouth.

"Very well, you may come," he replied reluctantly. Even though he would trust this Human with his life he didn't want the Human there to help him do a job he could easily do himself. Inching along the wall to the corner he saw the male crouching behind a storage box with the rifle ready. Pulling out his Carbine he nodded his head to the Human. Standing up and firing off two shots at the first Jiralhanae the Human dispatched of it. Rolling around the corner and coming up in a crouched firing position, he shot two rounds at the second Jiralhanae's head. The shots, clipping it's head, removed the helmet, only to be followed up by a single round to the now unprotected face. The Humans Beam Rifle, now done cooling down from the plasma overcharge, appeared right over his head. It's barrel fired two bright purple streaks of light at the last Jiralhanae. The first was dead on in the beast's face. The second beam was a little high and proceeded to take off the top of the Jiralhanae's head. The beam, which had been super heated, cauterized the skull shot leaving no trace of blood anywhere. "Well done Human. We need to leave," the Arbiter stated. Before he could suggest to the male to get the female, she came up with what looked to be a radio, "Sergeant Johnson there are some Marines still on the ring! We might be able to save them," she said turning to Aki, "Arbiter there are some UNSC forces still on the ring. We might be able to save them if we hurry," she said, her voice pleading with him.

"Human we have more important things to do. First we must get a ship with a Slipspace drive and get the rest of my brethren. After that we must stop the Prophet of Truth before he gets to the Ark,"

"First of all the lady has a name Mr. Arbiter. It's Commander Miranda Keyes. Second off those are _my_ Marines out there. Were going to go get them whether or not you like it, understand? Third, why would go get your buddies and leave ours out. What happened to the whole the enemy of my enemy is my friend. As far as I know you don't leave allies out in the cold," the male declared angrily.

"Human-"

"And don't call me Human either I got a name too. It's Sergeant Avery Johnson and you'd better know how to use it,"

"Sergeant, my brethren are most likely in need of help too. I'm sorry if you're offended but my own species comes first," Aki retorted.

"Well we'll just get both groups but, my Marines are just over that ridge Arbiter. So unless your buddies are closer we get them first,"

"Agreed."

Five minutes later in a now cleansed drop ship Aki sat peacefully for the first time in a month. He being the Arbiter was due to the Demon. Back on the first Halo he had been the Supreme Commander of the Holy Ring's defense. He had failed when he had attacked the Human stronghold Reach because the Demon escaped. After the attack he journeyed back to the ring only to find war raging across it. The Demon was desperately trying to destroy it while his troops were busy dealing with both the parasite forms called the Flood and the Demon. When the Demon had destroyed the ring the High Council had slated him for execution. Once the Mark of Shame was burned upon his breast the Prophet of Truth saved him. Deciding to turn him into the Arbiter he, the Prophet of Truth, began to manipulate him immediately. His first mission was to kill the Heretic leader. Not realizing it, he had killed a comrade. He had killed someone who had found out the truth and acted upon it. Once he met the Demon in Gravemind's lair he learned the truth himself. When the Prophets found out they cast the entire Sangheili species out of the Covenant. The Lekgolo and the Unggoy had followed the Sangheili. Stopping the Jiralhanae chieftain from activating a ring capable of destroying all sentient life had led him to be allies with the Humans. Now he was going to rescue what had bee his enemy for the last 27 cycles.

Rounding the ridge and looking through the view screen he called to the commander, "Commander your forces are pinned down at the narrow edge of that sub-valley," he said indicating a small branch off from the main valley. At the far end in an ancient structure were about half a platoon of ODST's. Situated around the top of the structure were five or so turrets all spewing out lead that could be seen were they were at, a mile above structure. What astonished Aki more than the amount of fire power they had a t hand was what they were firing at. Flood. An entire wall of the yellow-green xenoforms was rushing at the Hell jumpers. Turning back to the commander he spoke, "We must get to them before the Flood onslaught does. Any suggestions?"

Stepping forward the Sergeant spoke, "They're ODST's they'll hold out. Ma'am it would probably be best if you contact them and tell them it's us. Arbiter, loop around and set down at the back. Once they're in we'll be able to start the search for more Elites. Agreed?" he asked.

"Nice plan Sergeant. Arbiter, can you please show me the communications gear?"

"This way Commander," he said as he led her to the front of the drop ship. These Humans were indeed strange, he thought. Once he had taken a class on their military structure to pinpoint which officers he should attack first he remembered where the Sergeant stood compared to a commander. Very low. If a Sangheili had done that he would be executed on spot for trying to unseat his commander but the Sergeant stepped up and made a plan his commander approved of. Another thing troubling him was the Commander. She was a female. For the Sangheili, females stayed home to take care of the kids. His own mate, whom he hadn't seen since the war had started was still at home raising children and taking care of their dwelling. Sangheili honor would never permit a male to take orders from a female. It was unthinkable yet, the Sergeant had done so willing. Upon reaching the communications gear in the front of the ship he decided he'd brood over it later.

Point to the holographic display he told her how to use the gear properly, "Commander, the display on the left indicates who you're messaging. The one below it is how you send the message and if you want a live communication hit that button there,' he said indicating a button that looked like a speaker next to the gear. Continuing on he said, "The rest of this is navigation. If you want to know how to use it, wait till we're done here, okay,"

"Got it," Leaving the Human to send her message Aki walked back to the troop bay. Finding the Sergeant still looking out the view screen gazing at nothing in particular, he decided he might as well get into friendly enough terms with them. With a minute till show time he spoke up, "Human, is that natural for a subordinate to give orders to a superior officer?" he asked.

"No mister Arbiter it's not but, I have more experience than she does. Where we come from experience is more prized than a position of power. One other thing though, we don't give'em orders, we give'em suggestions,"

"That's doesn't make sense. Look at it through my eyes. You have more experience than the commander yet, she has a higher position of power. Why?"

"Well Arbiter or Aki or whatever it is I didn't want the position. Once I get past my current rank I am no longer able to fight the good fight. I want to be in there face to face with my enemy not sitting around signing this and that. You must have felt it yourself. The quickening of your pulse and its pound in your head, adrenalin racing through your blood. I guess I do it for the thrill not the glory," Having no need to reply he looked out the window. These Humans were more confusing by the minute yet, he strangely felt a connection growing between him and the Sergeant. They both would rather fight face to face rather than doing the administrative part. The more he had found to separate the two cultures, the more he found to connect them. These Humans have all the things his own Sangheili had: honor, duty and self-sacrifice if need be.

His musings were cut short when the other Human keyed the ship's internal comm system, "Alright we got ten seconds till the ODST's are in position. Arbiter I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to be done there when they come up. Johnson, brief them when they arrive. Under no circumstances are they to fire upon Elites, Grunts, or Hunters. Keyes out."


End file.
